Because of various safety and sanitary concerns, instruments and equipment used for various dental and medical procedures are utilized for a single patient or a single event and then are disposed of or sterilized prior to reuse. However, not all equipment can or should be disposed of after a single use because of its sophistication and associated expense. This equipment may include delicate electronic instrumentation that monitors various patient conditions and should be reused. Such equipment may be isolated from biohazards because of its expense and inability to be sterilized after such an exposure. This type of equipment is to be distinguished from what is referred to herein as instrumentation, which may be complex, but which cannot be sterilized or, if sterilizable, may decrease in function after a preselected number of uses. As set forth herein, the instrumentation is connected to equipment, the equipment having a much longer design life than the instrumentation, which may have an intended life of a single use.
Even though the sophisticated equipment may be reused, a portion of the equipment is designed for a single use and is intended to be discarded. This equipment frequently is brought into contact with the patient or is in the vicinity of the patient, but need not be so restricted. This portion of the equipment may include a plug connector with a cable assembly that is attached to disposable instrumentation. The plug connector and cable assembly provide a connection between the disposable instrumentation and the sophisticated electronic equipment. The plug connector interfaces with a receptacle, as the combination, a connector, that is connected or wired to the expensive monitoring equipment.
Although the intended instrumentation is intended for a single use, there is always a possibility that the disposable instrumentation is not discarded, and is reused. What is needed is disposable instrumentation that includes features that may prevent reuse and may necessitate disposal, thereby providing a safeguard against reuse, either inadvertent or intentional.
Another desirable feature in a connector includes the ability to be easily and inexpensively terminated to a cable and assembled in an orientation that makes assembly easier. Many existing medial connectors utilize solder terminations in a tight contact configuration, making crimped contact termination of the cable to the connectors difficult. Thus, a medical connector that includes an orientation that permits access for crimped termination of cable to contacts is also desirable.
An assembly of a male part, such as a plug connector to a female part, such as a receptacle, desirably should be easy to mate. This desirably can be accomplished by selecting a shape of the mating parts so that it is clear by visual inspection how the parts should be properly mated. Visual inspection can also aid in assembly by color coding the male part to the female part or receptacle, by custom coloring the parts to assist in assembly. Furthermore, tactile features can also assist in determining proper orientation of a plug, which also can be useful in low light situations when visibility is impaired.
A plug connector/receptacle assembly that incorporates several of these features would facilitate its manufacturing and assembly for medical uses and make it adaptable for single use applications, if desired.